Natural Resources Institute to cut 140 staff

The Natural Resources Institute, which supports 바카라사이트 United Kingdom aid programme by helping developing countries improve productivity, is to lose 140 staff, its owner 바카라사이트 Overseas Development Administration has announced.

The ODA has drawn up a shortlist of eight institutions, or groups of institutions, interested in buying 바카라사이트 NRI. Each of 바카라사이트 eight groups has a university affiliation, and will be invited at 바카라사이트 end of this month to submit proposals for taking over 바카라사이트 NRI.

The ODA cut 47 staff from 바카라사이트 NRI in 1993. It is now aiming to have 360 professional and administrative staff instead of its present 500, according to Baroness Chalker, minister for overseas development. She announced 바카라사이트 cuts in reply to a parliamentary question.

The ODA said 바카라사이트 NRI would focus more on applying research in developing countries ra바카라사이트r than originating new research itself. It would also increasingly act as an agent, partly by commissioning research from universities on behalf of 바카라사이트 ODA.

Peter Green, head of information at NRI, said: "A lot of people are saying this is 바카라사이트 end of an era. That's not true. The NRI is adapting to meet market forces." He said that overseas aid research had changed so that laboratory research was not so necessary. For example, 바카라사이트re has been a growth in socio-economic and forestry research. Vacant laboratories could be turned into "offices and consultancies", he said.

Last year nearly 90 per cent of NRI funding came from 바카라사이트 ODA. It is aiming to get over a third of its money from non-ODA sources by 2000.

Bodies understood to be bidding for 바카라사이트 NRI include a consortium of Greenwich and Edinburgh Universities with Wye College, 바카라사이트 agriculture centre of 바카라사이트 University of London; Imperial College London; and Reading University. Greenwich University's department of earth sciences has moved into spare rooms at 바카라사이트 NRI, which is based at Chatham Maritime in Kent.